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And so it begins

The first signs of development on The Dahlia — developer Mary Hanlon told the Herald she is changing the spelling of the word back from Dalia to Dahlia due to overwhelming public demand — a downtown, four-story, mixed-use building are now evident.

A green retaining wall went up during the last week of April around the so-called city block, which used to be home to the city's offices, as well as the city council chambers, encircling it from passersby who might find it too tempting to walk onto the property and take one last peek at the old municipal buildings before demolition begins.

The outside of the old city hall building, raised with federal funding from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal" public works projects following The Great Depression, will remain intact because it now has an historical designation. However, the inside can be remodeled to however the occupants see fit. Current plans are to revamp it for a restaurant.

Construction will take place on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.is expected to take at least until summer 2018. There will be 140 parking spaces available, both on site and adjacent to the property, once The Dahlia is completed. The increased demand for daytime parking for retail customers visiting businesses in the area will not be hindered by those living in the 8,000-sqaure-foot, 69-unit apartment complex with one-bedroom and studio units, Hanlon and city officials say.